Improvement in mechanisms for utilizing wave-power



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O. W. LORD. Mechanism for Utilizing Wave Power.

Patented April 9,1878.-

FHFE I'ERS, PHOTO-LiTH-JGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. n C

G. W LORD. Mechanism for Utilizing Wave Power.

No. 202,113. Patented April 9,1878.

RAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFIOE.

CHARLES W. Loin), or NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISMS FOR UTILIZING WAVE-POWER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,113, dated April 9,1878; application filed March 2, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. LORD, of Newton, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvementsin Mechanism for Utilizing Wave- Power, of which the following is aspecification:

This invention relates to means for utilizing wave-power by transmittingand adapting the rolling or pitching motions of a navigable vessel orother floating object to produce oscillating motion in a walking-beam orlever, which, in turn, drives a pump or other mechanism; and theinvention consists, mainly, in the employment of a weighted pendulum,suspended from a'suitable frame or support by gimbals or other universaljoints, in such manner as to be permitted universal freedom of swingingmotion, the upper end of the pendulum, which extends above the point ofsuspension a distance equal to the power or leverage desired, beingconnected with the walking-beam or other transmitter of power (mountedin the upper part of the frame) by an intermediate lever or rod, and asliding cross-head, which traverses vertical slides affixed to the frameof the machine and over the pendulum, the intermediate rod beingswiveled at some point between its ends by a universal joint to a secondcross-head, disposed below the first, and sliding upon'the same guidesor in the same path of movement as the first, and the whole being soarranged that swinging motions of the pendulum in any direction shall,by means of its upper arm and the rod before named, impart oscillatingmotions to the lever or walking-beam, which motions are adapted by anysuitable mechanism to work a pump or effect other useful purposes. 1

Details of the machine will be duly described. The drawings accompanyingthis specification represent, in Figure 1, a side elevation, and in Fig.2 a vertical section, of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of the lower gimbaljoint, which constitutes thesuspensory of the pendulum, while Fig. 4 is a like section of the jointwhich connects the pendulum with the oscillating lever, to be explained.Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are sections of the remaining gimbal-joints, to beexplained. v

The drawings accompanying this 'specification represent, at A, a stageor upright frame, which I have employed in the present instance, wherebyto support the working parts of the machine, such frame being composedof four rectangularly-arranged upright corner-posts, B B B B, united atbottom by cross-ties O, &c., and, at about the center of the structure,by a platform, D, which has a central opening, a, while upon oppositesides of this platform I erect upright posts E E, each of which bearsupon its inner side or edge a V-shaped slide or guide, F, to support twocross-heads, G H, which slide up and down in such guides, and will behereinafter described, the upper cross-head being arranged at the upperpart of the said guides, and the lower cross-head being disposed at thelower part thereof.

A horizontal working-beam or lever, I, is pivoted to the extreme upperpart of the post E, and its inner end or arm a projects inward over thecenter of the cross-head G, and is connected with the latter by a link,I), or in any suitable manner.

The outer end of the walking-beam isto be connected with a pump or othermachinery by any suitable device which shall properly transmit theoscillating motions of the beam to do the work required of it. v

Ihave not, in the present instance, shown any device to connect the beamwith the pump, as this is a matter of ordinary skill of a mechanic, towhich I do not confine myself, and may be varied indefinitely.

J, in the drawings, represents a pendulous rod or bar, carrying atbottom a weight, 0, the length of this pendulum and the size of theweight being determined by the amount of power required, or the size ofthe space which is available for the movements of the pendulum.

Surrounding the weight 0, and affixed to the lower part of the structureor stage A, is an annular guard, K, which serves to control themovements of the pendulum and restrict them to reasonable bounds.

The support of the pendulum J is a gimbaljoint, L, such as is used inmarine compasses,

and consists of two horizontal rings, 01 e, the outer one, d, of whichis pivoted at its opposite sides to the under side of the platform D bypivots ff, while the inner ring 0 is pivoted within the first by pivotsg 9, arranged at right angles to the pivots f f. The pendulum is pivotedto the inner gimbal-ring e by a horizontal pin or rod, h; and I prefer,for certain reasons, that this pivot shall not only be disposed belowthe pivots f and g, but quartering with the latter, as shown in thedrawings.

I do not confine myself to this disposition of the pivot h, though inpractice I have found it preferable in some respects; nor do I confinemyself to the two rings d e, as a third ring may be employed, and, ifso, the pivots which connect it with the ring d should be at rightangles with the pivot h.

This method of suspending the pendulum, before explained, permits ofuniversal'freedom of swinging motion, so that, when the machine isplaced on board a navigable vessel or other floating object acted uponby wave-power, the pendulum shall be caused to describe a movement insome direction by the rolling and pitching movements of the vessel.

. The suspensory joint of the pendulum, as last above described, issituated below and concentric with the opening a of the platform D,while the upper end or arm '5 of the pendulum extends upward through theopening, and has a bifurcated head, j, which receives the outer ring 70of a second horizontal gimbal-joint, M, such ring 70 being pivoted atopposite sides to the ears of the head by pivots m m, while the innerring of the joint, which is shown at n, is pivoted to the outer bypivots 0 0, arranged at right angles to the first, as before explained,and as universally practiced in gimbal-joints.

N in the drawings represents an upright rod or lever, pivoted at itslower end by a horizontal pivot, 19, to the inner ring-n of thegimbal-joint M, last described, this pivot 19 being disposed at rightangles to the pivots 0 0, and parallel to the pivot h of the joint L.

p The lever N is fulcrumed, at or near its center, to the lowercross-head H by a half gimbal-joint, O, the outer ring 9 of which isaffixed to or is a component part of the said cross-head, while theinner ring r of this joint 0 is pivoted to the former byoppositely-disposed pivots s 8, while the lever, in turn, is pivoted tothe inner ring 1' by a horizontal pivot, t, disposed at right angles tothe pivots s s, and in alignment with the longest plane of thecross-head H. y y

The manner of connecting the lever N to the cross-head H, as stated,permits such lever to move in any direction, according as it may beforced by the vibration of the pendulum, and the upper end of this leveris converted into a forked head, u, which straddles the ring 4) of asecond half gimbal-joint, P, and is pivoted to such ring byoppositely-disposed pivots W W.

The upper cross-head G is connected to the upper end of a rod, .1, also,by a half gimbaljoint, Q, the ring of such joint being shown at y, andthe horizontal pivot connecting such ring with the said rod as at 2,while the ring y is pivoted to a fork, I), of said cross-head by pivotsc 0, arranged at right angles to the pivot z.

The lower end of the rod .00 is connected to the inner ring 01 of thejoint P, before named, by a horizontal pivot, 0, arranged at rightangles to the pivots W W of such joint.

It is obvious that any swinging movement in any direction of thependulum J will impart a compound movement to the lever or rod N-that isto say, said lever will be thrown into a sloping position or oscillatedupon the gimbal-joint, which connects it with the cross-head, while itwill also be lowered bodily, and with it lower the cross-head, and viceversa, when the pendulum returns, while with the compound movement ofthe lever I and the descent of the cross-head the upper cross -head issimultaneously lowered, and with it the inner arm of the walking-beam a.It will thus be seen that swinging movements of the pendulum aretransmitted by the intermediate rod N to the walking-beam-to effectoscillating movements of the latter.

My machine is especially useful on board navigable vessels to efi'ectpumping and other work, andmay, with modifications, be adapted tooperate the propeller. It may be also used with bell-ships or buoys toeffect the ringing of the bell, and is applicable to many purposes whichtime will not permit me to enumerate.

Having thus described the nature and operation of my invention, I claim,and desire to secure Letters Patent of the United States, the following:

1. The combination of the pendulum J, oscillating lever N, andwalking-beam I, substantially as and for purposes stated.

2. A mechanism for utilizing wave-power, consisting of the following: Aweighted pendulum suspended from a suitable frame or stage by auniversal joint, so as to be permitted universal freedom of swingingmotion, the upper part of the pendulum, which extends above the point ofsuspension a distance corresponding with the desired power of leverage,being connected with a walking-beam or other transmitterof power by anintermediate rod or lever connected to a sliding crosshead, whichtraverses vertical slides affixed to the frame of the machine and overthe pendulum, the said intermediate rod being swiveled at some pointbetween its extremities' by a universal jointto a second crosshead,disposed below the first and sliding upon the same guides or in the samepath of movement, and the whole being so arranged that swingingmovements of the pendulum in any direction shall, by means of its upperarm and the intermediate rod, impart oscillating movements to thewalking-beam, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the pendulum J, lever N, and cross-head H with theframe A and its slides F F, under the arrangement substantially asdescribed, whereby swinging movements in any direction of said pendulum5. The annular guard K, to determine or reeffect correspondingoscillating movements of strict the swinging movements of the penduthelever and the cross-head and vertical lum J, substantially as and forthe purposes movements of the lever and cross-head tostated.

gether, essentiallyas and for the purposes stated. CHAS. W. LORD.

4. In combination with the cross-head H and lever N the cross-head G,pivoted to the Witnesses:

lever by a suitable universal joint, substan- F. GURTIs,

tially as and for the purposes stated. L. A. CURTIS.

